You may know this, but the C30 was based on an earlier concept called the SCC and its departure from the typical Volvo language at the time was very intentional. I've also seen the AWD running gear from the S40 swapped in— the platform was originally designed with an AWD variant that we never got. Just in case you needed a project idea.
Hold on to yer butts, it's here! I promised I would teach you how to pop your yolks, and here we are.
The C30 is a polarizing car. Nobody really thinks they're ok. The front os fine. it's very normal but the rear is IMO striking.
the slight taper of the roof inwards creates these lovely hips and allows for a surprising amount of rearward visibility on the side mirrors. The taillights climb up around the all glass hatch reminiscent of the p1800.
The taillights are red and white which is surprising for a euro car as amber turn signals are required.
Volvo navigated this challenge by fitting amber bulbs inside a clear reflective lense shared with the reverse lamps.
Looks like someone stuck a sunny side egg to my taillights.
"Oh... yolk... I get it now." -You, probably.
This is the first time I noticed the moisture in there... so that's something to address later.
So how do we pop our yolks?
Inside the hatch there is a carpeted plug. remove that to expose the lamps.
Disconnect the plug and remove the bulb carrier.
Swap the amber bulb for the chromed bulb. Put it back together.
No yolks, folks.
I also pulled the hood insulation because it was damaged. I may replace it eventually. Maybe not... I dunno.
I know that post might have been overwhelming for some of you. I'm sorry if I gave any of you the vapours.
For years I've been trying to get the Camaro ready to run Maryhill. NHA safety regulations have outpaced my ability to spend money and it has become a far off dream. But I want... I need to run that hill.
This car is not a race car. Will not becone my race car, but it is safe enough to make a few runs in a lower class. It will get me on the hill long before the Camaro will.
So that is what I will do.
I haven't even installed the fire extingusher yet and it's already not in compliance. NHA requires a 2lb fire extingusher in a metal bracket within reach of the driver, while belted in.
the front of passenger seat option does not produce mustard slices, as the sayong famously goes. I need to engineer a new mount. Something that will meet the requirements, won't damage my interior and can be easily installed and removed.
First I went about finding usable hardware. There is a removable tab in the bottom of the console with 2 screws in it. That will have to do.
Also, check it out. USB charger and an aux input in the console... Too old to know what to do with those, but... neat.
So i figured If I bent up a piece of steel sheet, had one of the dudes at work weld some exhaust piping to it I could make a halfway decent temporary mount.
The exhaust piping would fit into the cupholder and prevent the mount from moving in the X or Y axis, and the screws would prevent movement in Z. I'd really like to fix the front a little more securely but we're playing it by ear here.
This should mount the extinguisher about here.
That's all for now.
In reply to AClockworkGarage :
That will clear your elbow while you're driving? It sure won't clear your arm if something goes wrong.
That seems like a really bad spot to mount a fire extinguisher
There has to be an off the shelf solution. Maybe these guys ship to the US?
In reply to Slippery :
I think the hangup is whether something like that can be reached while belted in.
docwyte said:That seems like a really bad spot to mount a fire extinguisher
It's absolutely not where I want it, but it is the only place that meets the NHA requirements.
Slippery said:There has to be an off the shelf solution. Maybe these guys ship to the US?
That is not dissimilar from what I currently have installed, except it takes up more leg room.
Neither of which will satisfy the NHA.
Nothing says 'performance' quite like rattle-canned stock parts.
That looks like... something.
Found a Volvo owners club meet-up in a few weeks in Seattle. Gonna go to that and see how it goes.
Speaking of painting stock parts...
I put in an order for an Elevate removable rear strut tower brace in polestar blue.
(stock image from Elevate website)
Got an email last night saying they were out of blues and could send me Black or silver today or blue in like 4 weeks. I kinda want to get this thing to an autocross before too long so I messaged them back to see if they could send me a raw one and I'd paint it to match myself.
So that's what we're doing. It should be here by the weekend and I'll paint and prime it myself. This way it will be an exact match to both the bracing under the hood and the roll cage in the Z.
It arrived today and I didn't even bring the box into the house. It might be the first nice day of the year up here in the PNW, 60 degrees and sunny. Everybody is outside today. As discussed in a previous post the blue powdercoated bars were on backorder but Elevate was nice enough to send me a raw bar.
Part of me felt bad for using the Camaro as a workbench. Not only am I not working on it, but I'm making it hold the parts, Seems mean. I really want to get here uncovered and ready for the summer, but I'm not convinced that the good weather is here to stay yet. I did go inside and drag out my folding table.
I climbed into the awkward hatch and started hacking away with a box cutter, as one does,
Elevate's instructions are top notch. Everything I've gotten from them so far comes with a full colour step by step instructions with a tool list. it included all the dimensions for each cut.
Once the cuts are made the seat latches are removed and the brackets are sandwiched between the body and the latches. the bar is then installed and the latches are tightened down.
the cut carpet is not visible behind the seats but I decided to put some double sided tape behind them anyway.
once the brackets were tightened down I removed the brace with 4 hex bolts. That is the neat thing about this particular brace, it's quickly removable in case I want to use my hatchback as a hatchback.
The ends were powdercoated black so they were good to go. The bar got the 5 step process.
1. a good scuffing with a scotchbrite pad to get rid of any flash rust that may be on the part.
2. A thorough cleaning with a heavy duty wax and grease remover to ensure a clean surface.
3. I set up my gud-e-nuff™©® paint booth. and hit it with a few coats of self etching primer.
4. up next, Ford blue engine enamel. The problem with hanging a part like this is you wind up with a spot that never gets paint.
I solved this be flipping the part halfway through the process and hanging it from the other end.
5. Finally I hit it with a few coats of 1k high gloss clear. This was a mistake, I usually use an arcrylic laquer clear that flashes off pretty quick but I had a can of this high gloss and thought it would look great, The 1k clear takes a long time to fully cure. After two hours of curing I grabed the bar and left a perfect hand print.
Beeeeeeerk.
I tried hanging it back up and hitting it with a second coat of clear hoping it would hide the print, but all that did was make it shiny and more noticeable. I went ahead and installed it anyway. 
I will sand it back and repaint it... eventually, but it would need to be fully cured before I could do that. So here is where we stand for now.
I also removed the rear headrests, as I rarely if ever have rear seat passengers and it significantly increases rearward visibility.
So yesterday was interesting. On my way into work I noticed that my driver's side mirror glass was swinging free. On acceleration the bottom would swing out and away from the housing.
I have a video but I can't upload it from my phone... I may edit that in later.
I posted it in one of the C30 groups and they told me it was a known issue. The heating element behind the mirror degrades the glue over time then the glass just... falls off. I'm going to blame ford for this one.
I wrapped a few zip ties around it to get me home and set about fixing it last night after work.
The glass was barely holding on and separated pretty easily. The plastic carrier just snapped in place and it came out without too much trouble. The two heater wires were a pain, but I got em.
Cleaned both the mirror and the backing with alcohol, then gave it a thin coat of 3M E6000 adhesive. I bought that for the Camaro's T-top seals, but it should work for this too.
Left it to dry overnight and snapped it back into place before leaving for work this afternoon.
Seems to be holding up so far. We'll see how it goes.
No big updates.
Took her up to Seattle for a Volvo meetup, Maybe 10 cars showed up.
Got this pretty good shot looking across at the port.
and SWIMBO asked to drive her home afterwards. We've been together for 10 years and she's never wanted to drive one of my cars.
I made an appointment for the end of the week to get the tint removed. So yay... big updates.
Tint came off no problem. Much safer to drive the car now. No pictures because it's windows down weather now.
I fixed the paint on the strut bar, and got the decal installed.
The camaro let me down so I took Pearl to the cars and coffee event instead.
Odd Cylinder Count gang represent.
Wasn't sure how the C30 would be received as it's a pretty ordinary car, but people seemed to like it. It's just weird and uncommon enough to be interesting.
Other than that she's been great. Doing daily driving service and acting as a parts runabout for the race team.
The 12v lighter port stopped working over the weekend so I've got to check that out. Wiring has always been my kryptonite so I hope it's something easy.
I still need to get her up on a lift as some point to figure out what that rattle in the back is. It sounds like a heat shield but You never know.
I always thought they were cool cars back in the day. Kinda like my love for the z3 clownshoe.
No major updates, she's just been doin' daily duties.
Back on July I spent the week helping Dr Strangeland get his RX7 ready for the 4th of July fest in Auburn. His miata was down so we decided to bring the SBC swapped RX. A pair of lousy 80's V8's.
The morning came and we hopped in the Camaro and click. Nothing. Dead battery.
I looked at SWIMBO, "We don't have time for this" and we quickly transfered everything into Pearl.
Normally I would have stayed home but this show is a don't-miss for my friends and I and we had already bought tickets so... Volvo it is.
I arrived at strangeland's house to see him prepping His Dinan E36.
"RX wouldn't start" So instead of a pair of SBC powered 80's crapcans we'd be bringing a pair of silver tuner euros.
It was in no way the star of the show and was mostly ignored by the Olds. But a few people came over, curious about the odd little hatch.
"I've never seen a car quite like this before."
"Does it really have 5 cylinders?"
"Did you import this?"
So... all in all a pretty good day.
Awesome car mate. Love a Volvo. Never owned one, though came SUPER close to getting a 850R Saloon.Still bitter on that one. Then saw these and appreciate the driveline and quirky styling. Love to see where it goes.
The exciting life of a daily driver. A few months back the team packed up and headed to Portland for the lucky dog race.
Pearl was once again pressed into service as the parts runner.
A surprising amount of room in there.
To nobody's surprise the racecar exploded and I was sent on a number of missions to find parts. This little car was the right tool for the job.
After the race I drove back to the hotel...
I pause here briefly to tell you about the volvo rule. While many cars have similar rules the volvo rule is unique as it is the only one called 'the volvo rule'
ok... fine.
The Volvo rule is very simple.
You see a cool volvo, you park next to the cool volvo.
As I pulled into the hotel parking lot I spotted a rough looking wagon. but it was quite a bit lower than stock and rolling on pegasus wheels.
Cool.
I parked next to it. Rules is rules.
Big deal right? Later that evening I'm browsing Facebook and see a post in the volvo owners group. It's from the lady who owned the wagon.
Rules is indeed rules.
Honestly, every day I don't have to update this thread is a day that nothing went wrong.
Pearl pulled double duty the past few weeks helping with the move. Tons of boxes, two IKEA trips just really pulling her weight.
She needs a treat.
My old neighbor is an IAM machinist who is currently on strike with a child due sometime in the next few weeks. He does auto detailing on the side. I might just have him detail Pearl because she deserves it and he could use some cash in his pockets.
Also: Video Game Doppleganger.
...Is your new place purple?
In reply to iansane :
Yes.
I was a bit excited that I could direct people to my house by simply saying it's the purple one. Sadly it is not the only purple house in the street. It's also not the most purple house on the street. There's a Barney house a few blocks away with a green door.
Well berk.
leaving work last night I managed to locate one of Tacoma's famous wandering potholes.
Well, i hit it dead on. That's something that sucks about big wheels and rubber band tires... no cushion.
If you look just ahead of the forward downward spoke you'll see a black line on the tire. That's not water, that's where the sidewall blew out.
There is some damage to the wheel but I'm unsure if it is cosmetic or structural.
So I pulled to the side and tried to remove the offending wheel. The wonderful two piece Ford lugnut came apart and the cap jammed in my lug wrench rendering it all but useless. Luckily a coworker who walks to work happened by and loaned me a multitool I could pry it out with. The spare was mostly flat.
I made the 4 mile trip home on surface streets, stopping at the only gas station along the way to fill up the spare. Their machine was broken.
It only Tuesday...
While driving on Sunday SWIMBO and I were talking about cars. I mentioned that I didn't care for these tires, but I would make due because there was still a few years of life left in them. When they wore out I would replace them with aftermarket wheels and tires.
Welp, one of them wore out.
So I guess on Friday I'll bring the loose wheel to a shop and have them pull the tire and inspect the wheel.
If it's good the correct answer would be to replace the tire and move on with my life. Perhaps replace an axle set as a pair.
I've also put out a call for a used matching wheel with the local club.
But what I really want to do, despite the protests of my wallet, is just upgrade all the rolling stock.
When I got home I loaded up Forza and just started browsing wheels.
I like those. Rotiform FLG.
Quick Google to see if they fit in reality.
They do, and they're hot. They're not too expensive either, relatively speaking. Summit could have them at my door for $1200 and change.
Factor in another $100 or so for lug nuts, another $100 for TPMS sensors. It's not painless, but it is doable.
The rub is tires. They're going to be between $800 and $1000 depending on what I get, and most of them are on back order.
so... fun times...
I can hear the Camaro sobbing softly in the garage. She'll never get her fuel tank at this rate.
Update time. I had wheels tires and all assorted goodies in my cart with my finger on the confirm button for a while before closing the page.
I'm still making payments on this car. Best to just be an adult and do the adult thing. Any money spent here is money that doesn't make it to the Camaro. If I'm going to drop $2300 on this car it would be much better spent going towards the loan.
I found the same tire that was on the car and bought a pair of them. I would take the loose wheel to a shop and have them inspect it. If the wheel was OK, we'd mount the tire and all would be good.
Aside from some cosmetic scuffing the wheel was fine so we mounted it up. I drove home and mounted it back on the car. The plan was to drive back and have them replace the "worst" remaining tire with the other new one so they would be a matched axle pair.
This is where the story gets interesting. Go to start the car.
Nope.
4 days. The battery is at 9 volts. That's... bad.
The battery lives in a box on the driver's side by the firewall. The cover sits under the strut tower bar and the front appears to hinge upwards to allow access to the positive terminal.
Now I say appears to as it turns out that is not the case.
Having a great time here guys.
Try to jump it and nope.
I pull the battery to take it for a charge and test. I guess I'll pull the other wheel and have them mount it loose.
Nope.
This is the very moment I learned about Volvo's amazing tamper resistant wheel locks. Unlike regular wheel locks that are ugly as hell and can be easily removed by anyone with a $12 tool from the hammer store, Volvo's locks are indistinguishable from standard lugs without getting all the way down there and looking closely at them.
the centre section is a hex nut the same size as the other lugs, but it just spins freely. A superb design as long as you don't lose the key.
I don't have the key.
Of course I don't have the key. The tire will have to wait. I get the battery back from the shop and they say it's good. Great... that means I have a parasitic draw that will kill the battery in 4 days. Awesome. At least it's drivable.
I drive it to work She's fine until I go to back into space. She seems a touch sluggish. I notice it again as I back into my driveway.
Yeah, passenger real wheel is locking up when reversing. I can't get the wheel off to determine the issue. At this point I decide she isn't safe to drive and park her. This is above my pay grade.
I did some calling around and find out that Volvo dealers have a master key and can remove the lugs. I decide to tow the car to the dealer and have them go over it.
They'll remove the locks, trace the electrical issue and inspect the rear brakes. They'll also do the 135k mile service. It was not inexpensive, but I am not a mechanic, I am a part's changer. It's worth it to me to have someone knowledgeable just tell me what is wrong.
I order a new set of lugs and a new battery cover. Battery cover is on back order.
Elevate Titanium lugs. As with everything I've bought from Elevate so far there was a catch. I placed the order and almost immediately got an email.
Uh... we have the lugs but the "E" logo hasn't been laser etched on them yet.
Ugh... what's the point of expensive aftermarket parts if you can't tell they're expensive or aftermarket?
Truth is I actually doesn't matter that much to me and they dropped the price by 10% so... win.
The dealer comes back: lugs replaced no problems, your battery is berked, bad cell, we can replace it for $475.
Rear passenger brake pads are separated, we can replace the pads and rotors for $950.
I authorized no service and towed the car home.
I can replace a battery... picked up a new quality battery for $200.
IPD has a full brake upgrade kit for $850, new pads larger rotors and stainless lines all around. I almost pulled the trigger on that but remembered I was trying to adult here.
$200 got me ceramic pads and quality solid rotors.
I pushed the camaro out of the garage and pulled her inside. The brake swap was relatively painless. First time dealing this that integrated parking brake thing, push and turn at the same time...
Those are berked. old on top, new on the bottom. I did the passenger one first, then went around and did the driver.
Popped back around to mount the wheel on the passenger side when I was finished and noticed a pool of brake fluid on the ground.
I wanted to ignore it but there was... like... a lot.
I pulled the caliper back off and saw that it was leaking from the seal.
Yeah... that's gotta get fixed...
I'm kind of wondering what happened. was this leaking the whole time? Did the pad get soaked with fluid causing the adhesive to lose bond, and the impact of the potholes allowed it to finally break free?
Was it all just a coincidence and I just jacked up the seal while compressing the caliper?
**shrugs**
Academic really. I ordered a new caliper and it arrived yesterday. P.O. had painted the calipers blue which was fine with me, but now that I have to replace one I'm in the situation of having to paint the new one to match and I have no idea what colour they used. The wheels are very open so there won't be any hiding it.
If I can paint them tonight or tomorrow night I can install them Friday and maybe get some help bleeding them. I hope to have her ready for cars and coffee on Saturday morning.
This is where we sit for now. There have been a few cosmetic changes but we'll save them for when this ordeal has passed.
You'll need to log in to post.
